1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to residential housing, and in particular to a low cost residential building using straw bale insulation, and the method for fabricating such a building.
2. Background Relative to the Prior Art
The need for low cost housing is a critical ongoing requirement in current society. With escalating costs of materials and labor, even the most modest of houses is now out of reach for many middle and low income families. Attempts to alleviate this problem by means of low interest mortgages, variable rate mortgages, kit homes or the substitution of trailers for conventionally constructed houses have been, at best, not completely satisfactory solutions. A more satisfactory solution requires attacking the root problem; namely, the high cost of home construction.
The largest component in the cost of home construction is labor, and it is estimated that labor accounts for about 65% of the construction cost. A viable method for reducing this cost is for the home owner to personally undertake as much of the home fabrication work as he can. This investment of time and effort in home construction by the owner, his family, and friends is colloquially known as "sweat equity".
To successfully implement such a program requires the use of manageable materials that can be physically handled by a small group of untrained individuals without the need of sophisticated, expensive tools and material handling equipment. A suitable material is straw which is light weight and compact, and has been used as insulation in home construction since time immemorial. Currently straw insulation is being used in the form of bales, the bales later being covered with plaster or interior wall board. In the prior art the use of straw bales has not materially reduced the cost of the resultant home. If the bales are incorporated into a conventional post-and-beam structure, the labor cost remains high. When conventional steel I-beams are used to implement the structure, the size and weight of the I-beams mandate the hiring of a crane, crane operator and other highly paid steel handling specialists to erect the building frame.
The present invention addresses the financial problem of home construction, and discloses low cost materials and building components to be used in building a house by a small group of untrained people without the need of complex tools and machinery, and with the goal of reducing the construction labor costs by as much as 30%.